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PCOS name change, Neanderthals the world’s oldest dentists, and the ‘alien’ crystal that spawned from the world’s first atomic bomb.(Image credit: Photograph on display in the Bradbury Science museum, photo copied by Joe Raedle | Bart Maat/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)Jump to category:
- Neanderthals were the world’s oldest dentists
- Life’s Little Mysteries
- First nuclear bomb test spawns “alien” crystal
- Also in science news this week
- Beyond the headlines
- Something for the weekend
- Science news in pictures
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This week’s science news featured some significant headlines for health, including the pivotal decision to officially rebrand polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS).
The renaming — the culmination of a 14-year endeavor that incorporated input from over 14,000 patients and health professionals — was undertaken to better represent the condition’s nature, shifting from a term that implied (erroneously) that individuals with the disorder possess a greater number of noncancerous ovarian cysts than those without. In reality, those with PMOS experience a multitude of “arrested follicles,” which are ovarian eggs that failed to fully mature.
Neanderthals were the world’s oldest dentists’Exceptional’ drilled tooth reveals Neanderthals practiced dentistry in Siberia 60,000 years ago
Neanderthals hold the distinction of being the earliest known practitioners of dentistry, predating others by approximately 45,000 years.
(Image credit: Zubova et al., 2026, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0)
A recent investigation into a 60,000-year-old Neanderthal lower molar, exhibiting a deep cavity bored by a small stone drill, suggests that Neanderthals may have been the world’s first dentists.
This procedure indicates that our closest human ancestors possessed the intellect to comprehend that a painful dental cavity could be addressed and that they had the fine motor skills necessary to successfully excavate the decayed enamel. This evidence predates the earliest documented instance of intentional dentistry performed by Homo sapiens by 45,000 years.
Explore more archaeology news
—High-status Roman woman was interred in a lead sarcophagus adorned with jet hairpins and imported resins, according to archaeologists
—’Speculation’ and ‘egregious failure’: Thirty researchers have published severe critiques of a study that challenged the timeline of early human presence in Monte Verde, Chile
—Homo erectus genetic material has been sequenced for the first time, revealing ‘deep genetic connections’ with modern humans
Life’s Little MysteriesCan people catch infections from plants?
Can plants transmit diseases to humans? Disturbingly, the answer is affirmative.
(Image credit: Sumala Chidchoi/Getty Images)
The notion of plants infecting humans is a common theme in science fiction, but is it a reality? Live Science delved into this question and found a rather unsettling response.
—If you found this interesting, consider subscribing to our Life’s Little Mysteries newsletter
First nuclear bomb test spawns “alien” crystal’Extreme’ crystal that formed in 1945 nuclear bomb test is unlike anything scientists have seen
This rare crystal, formed during the initial nuclear detonation, has yielded a new discovery more than 80 years later.
(Image credit: Luca Bindi and Paul J. Steinhardt.)
The world’s inaugural nuclear bomb test transmuted the surrounding desert sand into pale-green-and-red glass. Over 80 years hence, an examination of the red portions of this material — christened “trinitite,” in homage to the Trinity test site — has unveiled crystals found exclusively on Earth.
Red trinitite comprises a distinctive clathrate, a crystalline configuration where one element (silicon, in this instance) encapsulates others (copper and calcium). This finding represents the initial discovery of clathrate crystals as a byproduct of a nuclear explosion and will contribute to enhancing our scientific comprehension of matter’s organization under extreme conditions.
Discover more physics and space news
—Physicists have detected evidence suggesting the universe may not be perfectly uniform, potentially challenging a century-old cosmological model
—SpaceX is preparing for the launch of its next-generation Starship, designed to be the tallest and most powerful rocket ever constructed
—’I heard gasps’ and ‘oh my God’: The Artemis II astronauts recount the inside story of their astonishing solar eclipse experience
Also in science news this week
—The ‘insect apocalypse’ is already contributing to malnutrition in certain regions, according to the first study of its kind
—Microplastics absorb atmospheric heat, thus contributing to global warming — compounding their already significant negative impacts
—A once-in-a-century ‘super’ El Niño event is anticipated, as ocean temperatures in April reached near-record highs
—The Milky Way has assimilated a galaxy named Loki, and scientists believe they have identified remnants of it
—’A combination of amazement and horror’: Hitchhiker fish found concealed within the posterior openings of manta rays
—A novel ‘technique’ rectifies a significant limitation in lasers used for neutral-atom quantum computers, bringing us closer to more potent systems
Beyond the headlinesPollution may fuel depression, anxiety and other mental health problems, emerging research suggests
Pollution can have profound effects on our mental well-being that scientists are only beginning to unravel.
(Image credit: Sanket Jain)
While numerous studies have established that pollution negatively impacts our lungs and hearts, emerging research indicates that it also affects our minds.
Investigations conducted across Asia, the United States, and Europe have drawn correlations between prolonged exposure to air pollution and increased risks of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and suicide. Live Science has examined the existing research on this global challenge to human welfare.
Something for the weekend
For those seeking weekend activities, here are some of the week’s most compelling interviews, opinions, news analyses, and quizzes.
—’We are less prepared for contagious pathogens’: The US has diminished its capacity to monitor and contain outbreaks, according to an Emory epidemiologist [Interview]
—As the climate warms, an increasing number of polar bears are approaching human settlements, and this is not exclusive to emaciated individuals [Opinion]
—AI self-replication exploits are ‘no longer purely theoretical,’ a study confirms — however, experts advise against immediate panic [News analysis]
—Live Science crossword puzzle #43: The founder and inaugural ruler of the Mongol Empire is the answer to 8 across [Crossword]
Science news in pictures’There are 4 people in those pixels’: Earth-based telescope captured Artemis II crew orbiting the moon
This indistinct dot represents a record-breaking achievement.
(Image credit: JPL & NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO)
Though it may not appear significant, this image contains a handful of pixels that encompass four human beings circumnavigating the moon at a distance exceeding 200,000 miles (320,000 kilometers).
The grainy photograph depicts the Artemis II astronauts during their lunar orbit within their Orion capsule. Captured by an Earth-based radio telescope, it is a strong contender for the longest-distance photograph of humans ever recorded.
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